World News

Two new publications on trans and intersex issues are now available!

ILGA-Europe and TGEU are pleased to launch the Human Rights & Gender Identity Best Practice Catalogue

Human Rights & Gender Identity Best Practice Catalogue is a follow-up to Commissioner Hammarberg’s landmark 2009 Issue Paper. It presents a number of policy, legal and practical inspirations from countries in Europe and beyond on how the 12 recommendations contained in the Issue Paper could be implemented. TGEU and ILGA-Europe are pleased to have jointly contributed towards this document and hope that it will be useful for the advancement of equality of trans people in all spheres of life. On the one hand, the document is a response to the frequent requests for information received from activists and policy makers alike, and on the other hand it wants to stimulate greater political leadership for the overcoming of (perceived) obstacles through reference to existing examples that work.

Without a doubt, the presented practices are not fully complete since there is more out there that is not covered by this one publication, and the models presented are certainly not the only way on how to improve the living situation for trans people. We remain open to receiving more information on good practices that can help supplement the ones included in the document.

Please send them to directives@tgeu.org (emails sent to this email address are automatically forwarded to both TGEU and ILGA-Europe staff).

The European Commission has just published the Thematic report on Discrimination against trans and intersex people on the grounds of sex, gender identity and gender expression (authored by Silvan Agius, ILGA-Europe Policy Director and Prof. Christa Tobler, Basel & Leiden University)

The Thematic report on Discrimination against trans and intersex people on the grounds of sex, gender identity and gender expression is a new publication has been released by the European Network of Legal Experts in the field of non-discrimination. The report addresses complex issues related to discrimination on the grounds of gender identity and gender expression, as well as discrimination on grounds of sex vis-à-vis intersex people. The report also clarifies the definitions used in the context of trans discrimination, and the terms used by the community to represent the diversity within it. This study highlights the obstacles and negative attitudes faced by this community and the difficulties with regard legal recognition and rights. The report also extensively examines the influence of EU law, including case law, on trans discrimination and provides case studies of national legislation and case-law on gender identity and gender expression discrimination of some Member States where there are promising approaches which can and should serve as models for others to follow.

The report is currently available in English only, but in due course it will also be made available in French and German. (online and printed version).

European LGBT Survey - Make your experience count: take part in the largest ever LGBT Survey! Starting April 2nd 2012!

EUROPEAN LGBT SURVEY LAUNCHED BY FRA:

Besides occasional news reports about discrimination against lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans (LGBT) people, there is very little comparable data collected across the European Union about the everyday experiences of LGBT people and discrimination. In response to this situation, the European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA) has launched the first ever online EU-wide survey to establish an accurate picture of the lives of lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans people (18 years or older) that will try to capture their experiences. The survey covers the 27 EU Member States, including the UK, and Croatia.

As the first EU-wide survey of its kind, the results will support the development of equal treatment policies for LGBT people in the European Union and should set the agenda for years to come. Based on the survey results, national and European policy makers, as well as non-governmental organisations, will be able to better target their advocacy strategies and activities to support LGBT communities to live and express themselves freely in a non-discriminatory environment.

The survey is completelyanonymous (no data on the participants and their sessions are logged in any way). The survey is operated by Gallup, a professional survey and consultancy firm.

In order to give weight to the results, the European LGBT Survey counts on the participation of a large and diverse group of lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans people from each country. It is vitally important for the success of the survey that it reaches a wide group through participants emailing the survey, sharing it through social media or simply inviting LGBT friends to take part.

The survey is conducted by the European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights. Again this is completely anonymous and is available online until the end of June 2012 at https://lgbtsurvey.eu/. You can fill in the questionnaire in English or other languages spoken in Europe.

Giving just 20 minutes of your day to fill out the survey will really help to better represent the experiences, opinions and needs of LGBT people. The greater number of participants, the greater the credibility of the results – we are counting on tens of thousands of LGBT people across Europe, in the first survey of its kind. Can we count on you too?

Make your experience count and take part in the survey! Share on Facebook, on Twitter, and tell your LGBT friends about it!

Historic vote extends EU asylum standards to transgender people

Today the European Parliament formally adopted a new set of asylum rules for the European Union. The binding rules now include gender identity as a ground of persecution, which EU Member States must take into account. Governments have already agreed to the changes, which are final.

Until now, EU asylum law foresaw that “gender related aspects might be considered” by national asylum authorities when examining the potential persecution of specific social groups in their country of origin.

The resolution adopted today has replaced this text, and now specifies that “gender related aspects, including gender identity, shall be given due consideration”. The text now refers to gender identity specifically, and obliges Member States to consider gender-related aspects. Before, EU countries could still choose not to consider aspects linked to the applicant’s gender in asylum claims.

The text applies to all EU Member States except the United Kingdom, which opted out of EU asylum policies. The resolution was successfully drafted and negotiated by Jean Lambert, a British Member of the European Parliament in the Greens/EFA group.

This is the first time a binding EU Directive includes gender identity.

Dennis de Jong MEP, Vice-president of the LGBT Intergroup and responsible for asylum policies in the GUE/NGL group, commented: “Around the world, transgender people can be persecuted for who they are. This reviewed Directive will recognise the danger they face, and it will commit EU Member States to taking gender identity into account in asylum claims. I hope in a future revision it will also become mandatory to consider the sexual orientation of applicants.”

Sirpa Pietikäinen MEP, Vice-president of the LGBT Intergroup, added: “I am very proud that my colleagues from the centre-right EPP group supported this change, regardless of the views they hold on asylum in general. The European Union is only starting to recognise gender identity as a ground of persecution, but I hope today’s vote will help protect more lives.”

The binding rules will apply after they are transposed into EU Member States’ national law, except for the United Kingdom, Ireland and Denmark which opted out of the process. Due to access the EU in July 2013, Croatia is also expected to adapt its asylum laws.